INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightPAEurope's satellite-navigation system, Galileo, remains offline.The network suffered an outage on Friday due to what has
been described as a "technical incident related to its ground infrastructure".Engineers worked around the clock over the weekend but there
is no update yet on when the service will resume.The problem means all receivers, such as the latest smartphone models, will not be picking
up any useable timing or positional information.These devices will be relying instead on the data coming from the American Global
Positioning System (GPS).And depending on the sat-nav chip they have installed, cell phones and other devices might also be making
connections with the Russian (Glonass) and Chinese (Beidou) networks
Galileo is still in a roll-out, or pilot phase, meaning it would not yet be expected to lead critical applications."People should remember
that we are still in the 'initial services' phase; we're not in full operation yet," a spokesperson for the European GNSS Agency (GSA) told
TheIndianSubcontinent News
"This is something that can happen while we build the robustness into the system
We have recovery and monitoring actions, and we are implementing them, and we are working 24/7 to fix this as soon as possible." The GSA
issued a notification on Thursday warning users that Galileo's signals might become unreliable
An update was then sent out at 01:50 Central European Time on Friday to say that the service was out of use until further notice
The search and rescue function on Galileo satellites that picks up the distress beacon messages from those at sea or up high mountains is
said to be unaffected by the outage.A project of the European Commission and the European Space Agency24 satellites constitute a full system
cost more than three times thatWorks alongside the US GPS, Chinese Beidou and Russian Glonass systemsPromises eventual real-time positioning
down to a metre or lessGalileo is a multi-billion-euro project of the European Union and the European Space Agency
The EU owns the system, and Esa acts as the technical and procurement agent.There are currently 22 operational satellites in orbit (another
two are in space but in testing), with a further 12 under construction with industry
In addition to the spacecraft, Galileo relies on a complex ground infrastructure to control the network and monitor its performance.Europe's
alternative to GPS went "live" with initial services in December 2016 after 17 years of development
The European Commission promotes Galileo as more than just a back-up service; it is touted also as being more accurate and more robust
An outage across the entire network is therefore a matter of significant concern and no little embarrassment.Since its launch in 1978, GPS
has become integral to the functioning of all modern economies
Usage goes far beyond just finding one's way through an unfamiliar city
The system's timing function has now become ubiquitous in many fields, including in the synchronisation of global financial transactions,
telecommunications and energy networks.Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@TheIndianSubcontinent.co.uk and follow me on Twitter:
@TheIndianSubcontinentAmos
